The BMW X6 is many things, but it’s certainly not discreet. It’s not unifying, either. It’s the kind of car people either love or hate. German tuner Manhart is making it even more contentious by turning it into a cross between a dune buggy, a hot rod, and, at least with this yellow-and-black paint job, a bumblebee.
The model is called the MHX6 Dirt² Concept, a name that signals it’s a follow-up to the original Dirt Edition that was based on the first-generation X6. In addition to a lift kit, it receives a long list of off-road-oriented modifications such as a winch, a skid plate, a bull bar, and an external roll cage. It rides on 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped by all-terrain tires. See the big snorkels on either side of the windshield? They feed air to the engine even when the X6 has water up to its belt line.
We don’t know what the interior looks like yet, for better or worse, but Manhart promises it’s nowhere near stock. The modifications in the cabin include individual rear seats and a fridge.
The tuner tore down BMW’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine and rebuilt it completely. The build includes new pistons and connecting rods, upgraded turbochargers, and a beefier cooling system to keep the temperature in check under the hood. All told, the eight-cylinder makes a monstrous 900 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. Mercilessly subjecting the tires to that much torque required reinforcing the automatic transmission and the axles.
Perhaps too bold to enter production right away, the MHX6 remains at the concept car stage. It’s close to production, though. Manhart calls it a “breathtaking” project, and predicts we’ll soon see the beast drifting through sand dunes in the Middle East, the market it’s largely aimed at.
Production will be limited to only five examples worldwide, each painstakingly built by hand, and pricing starts at an eye-watering 395,000 euros, which converts to more than $465,000. For that price, you could buy two examples of the all-new Lamborghini Urus and still have money leftover to buy a Jeep Wrangler, build it into your dream off-roader, and spend a long weekend testing it out on the trails in Moab, Utah. Decisions, decisions.
